


What Lies at the End

by bigspicysenpai



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy Violence, Getting Together, M/M, Monster Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24523321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigspicysenpai/pseuds/bigspicysenpai
Summary: The Las Vegas Aces are one of the premier teams of monster hunters in the National Hunter's League. Renowned for their efficiency and speed. At their head is their young captain, Kent, a broody ranger with a dark past. Still disappointed about the turnout of the previous season, Kent runs off on his own right before the new hunting season begins. His teammates go looking for him, with an offer for an amazing bounty that they won't be able to pass up.A  D&D inspired fantasy AU which features the Aces as a competitive monster hunting team.
Relationships: Kent "Parse" Parson/Jeff "Swoops" Troy
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31
Collections: OMGCP Reverse Bang 2020





	What Lies at the End

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the 2020 Check Please Reverse Bang! 
> 
> This whole story was inspired by the gorgeous art by @topieornottopie !
> 
> https://topieornottopie.tumblr.com/post/619916045683195904/another-year-another-omgcpreversebang-piece-boy
> 
> Do note that this fic does include the Aces fighting monsters/beasts, though I have elected not to describe injuries in graphic detail. 
> 
> A primer on the Aces (ocs) is in the end notes.

Kent nocked an arrow, aiming low at some tiny rodent hopping between the red rocks. The creature stilled. Kent held his breath, making sure he drew the right bead on the creature. 

_ Which way will it move next? Should I take the shot now? _

He heard the beat of wings rapidly approaching from behind him. He looked away from his mark for a second to confirm that yes, Swoops had in fact found him. When he looked back, the creature was gone. Kent released his held breath and put the arrow back in his quiver. 

“What do you want, Swoops?” Kent asked the hawk circling above his head. 

Swoops landed on the rock next to him and changed back into his human form. “You’ve been out here wandering for three days, Parse.” 

“Vegas doesn’t have a realistic enough range for me to practice-” 

“Bullshit,” Swoops cut him off. “You can’t hide shit from me.” He wrapped his arms around Kent’s back. “I’ve been worried sick about you.” 

Kent released the tension from his shoulders and let Swoops hold him for a minute. They’d had this tentative thing going for what felt like years now, where they’d be affectionate, then chicken out without defining the relationship. Kent really wanted to date him, but it seemed like Jeff wasn’t ready.

Kit wandered up in the meantime, carrying an antlered jackrabbit in her maw. 

“Kent, you really shouldn’t be letting her roam either,” Swoops whispered in his ear. “She’ll decimate the jackalope population.” 

“Pretty sure cougars are native, Swoops.” 

“Yeah, but-”

“I’ll make sure she only eats when she needs to, Ma.” 

“Good because domesticated cats are like, so bad for the environment.” 

“Thank you, mister hippie nature lover supreme.” 

“”I’m just saying, man.” Swoops put his hands up in surrender. They’d had this discussion a million times before. 

“Tabled for now.” Kent said. 

“Okay, then the next thing is-” Swoops tapped his finger on his chin trying to think.

“I hadn’t realized this was going to be a lecture series,” Kent chirped. “I would have brought something to take notes on.” 

Swoops scoffed. “Do you even own a pen, or an inkwell?” 

Kent leaned in, whispering in Swoops ear so he could savor each torturous moment of disgust.

“How else would I autograph portraits for fans?”

“Ugh,” Swoops balked. “You’re so obnoxious.”

“With a body like this?” Kent gestured to himself, voice dripping with sex. He moved Swoops’ hand to his bicep. “You’re lucky I’m literate, Swoops.” 

Kent flexed his bicep in Swoops’ grip, watched a bead of sweat roll down his temple, then broke the moment with a bout of laughter. He couldn’t keep a straight face anymore. 

“You’re fucking incorrigible.” 

“Me not know big city words.” Kent said, laughing again. “Me hunt, make arrow for kill!” 

“Stooooop!” Kent knew how to push all of Swoops’ fancy college boy buttons. 

“I can go back to brooding if you want.” 

“I can talk to emo Parse better than neanderthal Parse,” Swoops admitted.

“Yeah, sure.” Kent slung his bow back over his shoulders. “I’ve got my campsite not too far from here.” 

~~

  
  


Kent sparked a fire with his dagger and a piece of flint stone. Minutes later they had a small fire next to his lean-to and were heating some of the meat he’d actually managed to bag today. 

“Yo, is it ethical for you to eat animals if you can talk to ‘em?” Kent asked Swoops. 

“Nope, nuh-uh.” Swoops rotated the spit. “Not here to discuss druidic code. Here to talk you into coming back to town.” 

“But like-” Kent waved his jackalope on a stick in Swoops’ general direction. 

“I’d prefer not to think about it, Parser.” 

“Fine,” Kent looked up at the sky. No clouds or overly rosy hues indicating a storm on the way. “We can go back in the morning.” 

“We can get back by dark if we leave right now. “

“Don’t wanna.” 

“Come on, Parse.” 

“My bedroll is big enough for the two of us, Swoops.” Kent slung his arm over his teammates shoulder. “We can watch the stars together, make up some constellations.” 

“Get crawled on by bugs, stung by scorpions, bitten by rattlesnakes.” 

Kent squeezed Swoops closer to his chest. “Jeff, please,” he pouted. “I just want to have one last night alone.” 

“Fine, but I’m setting up a ward against vermin.” 

“I thought you loved me.” 

“Though you may be a pest —” Swoops drew a line around the small campsite with his knife. “I’ve never called you a rat.” He did a motion with his hands and the circle flickered violet for a moment, then disappeared. Swoops retook his seat next to Kent. 

“You are the least outdoorsy druid I’ve met in my whole life.” 

“I’m from the fucking frozen north, okay? The things that want to kill you up there are a bit less subtle about it.” 

Kent huffed a laugh. His druid was afraid of bugs. Swoops curled up next to him as the sunset faded into stars. The small fire petered out and smoked billowed in the night air. This was what a perfect day looked like. 

“Swoops?” 

“Mmhm?” 

“What are we doing here?” 

“Uhh, that’s a big question.” Swoops replied. “Like this moment, our place in the world?” 

“No, I mean-” 

“Just looks like a couple of dudes watching the stars, nothing odd here.” Lachance added, appearing from nowhere. Swoops jumped, rolling away from Kent in the process.

“What the fuck, Lucky!” Kent yelled, startled from his sudden appearance. “We were just —”

“Lucky, I was bringing him back to Vegas,” Swoops began.

“It looked an awful lot like cuddling, Troy.” Lucky rekindled the fire, stoking it with his staff as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. 

“Look just don’t mention it to anybody and we’re cool, right?” Swoops looked worried. 

“Wendy and Scraps are a thing, but you guys think anyone would care about you two?” Lucky helped himself to a piece of charred meat. 

“How did you find us anyway?” Swoops asked. “I started sweeping the desert like, two days ago.” 

“This is unrelated,” he said robotically. Lucky just got a kick out of being a fucking weirdo, apparently. 

“So what, you knew where he was the whole time?” 

“I’m just here to tell you that they’ve posted the bounties for the beginning of the season.” 

“Don’t change the subject,” Swoops said, looking indignant.

Kent wanted to change the subject. “Sweet, does management have any ideas for us yet?” 

“They’ve compiled a short list,” Lucky said, pulling a sheet of paper from his sleeve. “They want us to go for a tough one first.” 

“Build an early lead, makes sense,” Kent nodded, perusing the list of available bounties. 

“You still didn’t say how you managed to find him this fast,” Swoops huffed.

“That’s right, I didn’t.” Lucky smiled a shit eating grin, he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“He probably just tailed you.” Kent said, without looking up from the list. They had a few interesting challenges lined up. A devil in Jersey, some kind of giant insect in Kentucky’s caves. Swoops would hate that one. Frost dragon? Now that was interesting. 

“Without me noticing?” Swoops asked, incredulous. “The guy with literal hawk eyes?” 

“If I gave up all my secrets, you wouldn’t make the hilarious faces you do when I show up, though.” Lucky winked, snapped his fingers, then was gone again in the blink of an eye. Just some glittering dust where he had been standing. “Have fun, you two!” his voice echoed out from all around them. 

“Fuckin’ — Lucky, man.” Swoops said, exasperated. “Why’d we have to get the cleric that’s not a goody two shoes?” 

“Definitely a handful.” Kent took Swoops back under his arm and guided them back to sitting on his bedroll. “We’re alone again,” he added, waggling his eyebrows. 

“How do you know he’s actually gone?” Swoops said, indignant.

“Clearly he doesn’t care, so what’s the issue if he is?” 

“It doesn’t bug you that he might be watching?” Swoops looked around nervously, then shouted. “Like a creep!” 

“That’s his problem.” Kent winked at Swoops. 

Swoops’ face appeared to relax a little, though it was difficult to judge from the flickering shadows in the firelight. This was going to be a fun season.

~~

It felt like they had been trudging through the snow forever. Kent and the Aces had departed from the Lake Louise dropsite two nights ago, as it was the closest waygate the League had. It was supposed to be October, but this fucking dragon had plunged the area into an early winter. Swoops had made his usual remarks about the ethics of hunting endangered species like dragons, but his complaints had ebbed over the day and a half they’d been hiking and the unseasonable snowfall continued to accumulate.

“Ff—fuck th-this!” Scraps yelled from behind Kent. “I’m definitely not prepared for this level of cold!” 

“Maybe if you wore furs like I told you?” Wendy chimed in. 

“Do you w-want me to have toes when we fight the dragon or not?” 

“Oh, a lovers’ quarrel!” Lucky laughed at his own comment. 

“Shut yer trap, L-lachance!” Kent heard the thud of someone dropping to the ground. He rolled his eyes. Being captain to the sassiest team in the league was a definitely mixed bag.

“Wendyyyy,” Scraps whined. 

“Fine, you big baby.” 

Kent tilted his head back and looked at the sky in exasperation. It was likely going to be another two days before they got to the lair at this pace. He whipped around to see Wendy channeling some sort of red blur over Scraps’ shoes and Scraps, seated, barefoot in the snow. 

“Okay, losers, when we’re done with that we’re making tracks.” 

“Parser, what if —” 

“We’re the fastest clear time in the league for a reason, people.” Kent said, cutting off Swoops’ protest. “If one of the local teams catches wind and tries to follow?” 

“Like hell we’re losing this bounty to the Flames,” Wendy said, finishing her spell and tossing Scraps his shoes. 

“That’s what I like to hear!” A gust blew down the hill they were climbing, scattering powdery snow into the air. 

“Let’s fucking do this!” Kent shouted into the empty landscape. His team rallied behind him, Kent started at a brisk pace into the headwind. 

They crested the hill at a blistering pace. Kent wasn’t super familiar with winter travel, but his limited study of the terrain helped him draw a few conclusions. There were caves nestled in the little valleys that could provide much better shelter than sleeping outside. The snow was going to slow their pace no matter what they did and they had to hunt at some point. 

They had to be tactical about their movement as well. Kent surveyed the area from the top of the hill. This area was going to have dangerous wildlife beside the dragon, for sure. There was too much roaming space and the game was plentiful, even despite the cold. The howling he’d heard last night had him expecting wolves around the corner at any moment. 

“Swoops, can you take a look for nearby caves?” 

“We’re still a long ways off from where the lair is supposed to be.” 

“I’m trying to plan for tonight,  _ pal. _ ” 

“A lovers’ quarrel?” Lucky goaded yet again. Apparently that was all he was good for today. 

“Discretion!” Swoops yelled over the wind. 

Kent rolled his eyes for the millionth time today. The team was pretty well aware that he and Swoops were dancing around each other at this point. Swoops evidently didn’t want to talk about it and he definitely didn’t want their not-relationship broadcast to the world. Not that they were being recorded right now anyway. 

The league broadcasted the hunts through some magical interface that Kent didn’t care to try to wrap his head around. Not ‘round the clock, exactly, but if you paid attention you could see the capture runes swirling around you. They hadn’t had any fights today, so their snowy wilderness probably wasn’t the most exciting thing going on. Providence was probably fighting a sea monster or something they only had to walk twenty feet to find. Not worth a quarter of what this dragon was, though. No way was Kent going to settle for anything but first place this season. 

From the vantage point atop the hill, Kent noticed something moving in the treeline on the opposite side of the valley. 

“Swoops I need eyes on eleven, please.” Swoops stopped grumbling and turned in the indicated direction. He pulled a bundle of herbs from his hip bag and chewed. Kent watched as the spell took shape, Jeff’s face becoming slightly more chiseled and angular. His eyes began to glow faintly as well. Farsight was a spell they got a lot of mileage out of on hunts.

“Looks to be a pack of direwolves.” Swoops spat the chewed plant matter out on the ground. “Is that the direction we have to go?” 

“Going around them will add a lot of time, the direct route is the best plan in this weather.” 

Scraps nodded. “We need to get as close as possible to the lair today. I wanna get this over with so we can go back to being warm. ‘Fore I forget what bein’ warm’s even like.”

“We can handle a couple direwolves, Swoops.” Kent patted him on the shoulder. 

“It’s not that I’m worried about.” Swoops sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to kill so much.” 

“Maybe this isn’t your line of work, then?” Lucky added. 

“No, I love adventuring, it’s —”

“Okay, Swoops, I’ll cut you a deal, we aim to injure. Hold back a bit, and hope they run off.” 

“That’s — a little better.” Swoops smiled back at Kent. Damn, he wanted to kiss him. Shame they’re probably being watched now that they’ve sighted a potential threat.

“Best I can offer on this short notice.” Kent pulled Swoops into a quick sideways bro-hug so he could whisper into his ear. “I know you want to adopt all the dogs in the world, Swoops, I just don’t know if these ones are the best choice.” 

“Fair enough,” Swoops sighed. Kent knew they both wanted to say more, but it wasn’t the time or place. 

“All right Aces, let’s move!” Kent called out. “We’re going to move loud and fast, hopefully the beasts want to avoid us.” 

“Pff,” Wendy scoffed. “We’re breaking stealth now, are we?” 

“Yup!” Kent said cheerfully. He wasn’t in the mood to engage with any further sarcasm. The team would just have to save their chirps for whenever they made camp. 

The team trudged down the hill, moving briskly, but taking care not to fall. Lucky lamented that he’d forgotten his sled back home. Normally that would have started another round of chirping, but Kent was determined to not waste any more breath on things that didn’t bring them closer to their current goal. 

Once they reached the bottom of the hill and into the dip before the next hill began, they heard a singular howl ring out. Then a few more joined in. 

“So, that didn’t work, eh?” Swoops asked sheepishly. 

“Evidently.” Wendy took her gloves off, rolled them into a neat package, and placed them in her coat pocket. “Let’s get this over with then.”

“Please don’t start a forest fire.” 

“Gods, Swoops, that was  _ one  _ time!” Wendy rolled her sleeves up, waved her arms, and conjured a wall of flames between the party and the treeline. 

“Swoops can I get a tree stand?” Kent asked. 

Swoops nodded, scattering seeds from his belt near Kent’s feet. Kent held on to a branch as the trees sprung up around him, lifting him as they grew, giving him an excellent vantage point. With luck, and a few well placed arrows, hopefully the beasts would retreat, sparing Swoops some grief and Kent a headache. 

Kent called out the pack’s movements as the wolves divided themselves, trying to flank, but really being funneled right where they wanted them. Wendy’s flames had created a clever bottleneck, preventing the wolves from advancing safely. 

Kent scanned the area, hoping to pinpoint which of the wolves was the alpha. If he eliminated that threat, the rest would likely disperse. He was high enough up that these huge ass wolves didn’t see him. Forward facing eyes and all that. He just needed to find his mark and adjust for the wind. 

One of the pack broke off and dove at Wendy, presuming she was the weak link of the group. Scraps was there in an instant, grappling the wolf, mid-lunge. 

“Damn!” he yelled, “these fuckers are heavier’n they look!” Scraps pulled back and heaved the wolf off the ground. The telltale gold shimmer of one of Lucky’s enchantments snaked around Scraps’ ankles. Realizing what was happening, the beast struggled against Scraps’ grip to no avail. Scraps sprung into the air, preposterously high for someone carrying a horse-sized wolf. They came crashing down, with Scraps pinning the wolf under him, absorbing the impact. 

Kent was certain that if he was closer he would have heard the sickening crunch of the blow. The wolf got up and immediately hobbled away, not eager to fight any longer. A promising start to the combat.

Kent saw that the wolves were trying to form a circle and pick off the one they thought was most vulnerable. Now that Wendy and Scraps were back to back the beasts had set their sights on Lucky. Kent kept looking for an obvious alpha, hoping to demoralize them and wrap this up. One of the wolves, slightly larger than the rest, stuck out, approaching Lucky from behind. It dove at him, an attempt at a quick takedown. Before the wolf made contact Lucky’s form shattered into multiple illusory duplicates. The illusions split up across the battlefield, drawing the wolves’ attention and befuddling them as they tried to work out where to strike next. 

The illusions were so perfect Kent couldn’t tell them apart even when he was next to one. Kent decided this was his moment to go for the Alpha, while the wolves were striking at air. He lined up a shot on the largest wolf, making sure that his aim was slightly off of a lethal blow, for Swoops. 

Kent drew back his bow, feeling the pull across his chest until the fletching was brushing up against his cheek. He expelled the air from his lungs to steady his aim, then finally loosed the arrow. The arrow sailed through the air and found its mark, sinking deep into the flesh of the creature. He drew back to ready another, but it seemed to have worked. The alpha dire wolf fell to the ground for a moment before standing again and trying to flee.

It barked loudly to the group, seeming to call them off. The giant wolves turned tail and disappeared back into the forest. Apparently they’d driven them off. Kent slid down the tree trunk before Swoops dismissed it. Wendy and Lucky dropped their spells as well. 

“That went better than expected.” Kent said. 

“Yeah,” Swoops agreed. “They’re probably going to tail us for the night though.”

“Did they say that?” Scraps asked. 

“I didn’t try conversing with them.” Swoops shook his head. “It’s basic wolf behavior. As long as we keep a watch and keep moving loudly, they’ll probably move on.” 

“It would have been easier to just kill them,” Wendy said. “Fresh meat would have been nice too.” 

“Easier, but not necessary.” Kent shrugged. “We’re only here to slay a dragon. Swoops has a point about us disrupting the local wildlife.” 

“The wildlife disrupted us first, yeah?” Scraps questioned. “Ugh, I’m hungry just thinkin’ ‘bout the idea of a roast wolf dinner.” 

“We have enough supplies on us for another day.”

“There’s plenty of elk or moose that will probably taste better anyhow,” Swoops pointed out. “And one will feed all five of us for days.” 

“Every part of the buffalo, eh?” Lucky nodded. “Or elk, or whatever.” 

“I can probably find some root vegetables and stuff that survived the freeze if we make a camp.”

“We still have a lot of ground to cover, people.” Kent took up his position at the front of the group again, waving them on. 

~~

  
  


Later that night, the forest gave way to the entrance of a canyon; frozen over cascades of ice poured over the side of the crevasse. This was the place they were looking for. Their quarry had set its lair up deep inside. Icy caves dotted the walls as they walked through the center at a brisk pace. The river beneath their feet was frozen too. Likely solid enough to bring a horse cart out onto the ice. 

“Sun’s goin’ down, chief.” Scraps’ whole face was red, he was probably about to get frostbite or something. 

“Is that your way of requesting that we stop for the night?” 

“Uh, well s’only gonna get colder y'know.” Kent swore he saw his bottom lip wobble. 

Lucky stifled a laugh. “Wendy and I could make some magelights if you want to keep going, Parse.” 

Scraps’ face fell. He definitely didn’t have it in him to keep going for much longer. If only he’d packed better clothes like Wendy fucking told him to. 

“Swoops, what are the odds we’ll find a bear in one of these caves?” 

“Low, but not impossible.”

“We can take a bear!” Scraps called out. 

“Bear stew?” Wendy chimed in. 

“Yes, please!” Scraps rubbed his belly hungrily, like some kind of elementary schooler.

“Is food all you can think about, Scraps?” Swoops asked.

“Let’s poke our head into a couple and see what happens.” Kent moved forward, procuring a coil of rope from his pack. He trusted his ability to scale the icy cliffs, but he’d probably have to help most of the others. 

“Swoops you wanna get a bird’s eye view of the canyon for us? See if there’s a good one that stands out?

“Sure thing.” Swoops set his pack down and in a flurry of feathers, he was off. He circled back a few minutes later and landed beside the party. 

“So?” 

“Uh, there’s actually an inn up on top of the canyon?” 

“What!?” Scraps said excitedly. “We oughta go there!” 

Lucky raised his eyebrow with suspicion. “Did it look open?” 

“I mean,” Swoops scratched the back of his head. “There was smoke coming from the chimney and there were lights coming from inside?” 

“How far?” Kent picked up Swoops’ bag and passed it back to him. 

“If we scale the left cliff here, it’ll be like, twenty minutes.” 

“Guess it’s worth a try.” Wendy said. “I know I’d rather dry my clothes and sleep inside.” 

“And hopefully they have real food!” 

“My jerky and hardtack recipes are great,” Kent protested. “But a hot meal would be nice.” 

“It just seems too convenient.” Lucky stroked his little goatee. 

“Like the dragon set up a trap for us?” Kent shook his head. “That’s crazy talk, man.” 

“You’re welcome to sleep outside if you think it’s not safe, Lachance,” Wendy said, looking up the slope of the canyon wall.

“I can fly back up and tie the rope to a boulder or something.” Swoops suggested. “Someone else will have to get my bag up to me, though.” 

“Sounds like a perfect job for Scraps.” 

Swoops set his bag on the ground and took off again, with the rope clasped between his talons. 

“Hunh, why me?” Scraps asked. 

“Because you’re traveling the lightest and have the most muscle mass, you goof.” Kent set the bag over by Scraps’ feet. 

“Hm, huh, okay.” 

“And what about him do you find attractive again, Wendy, dear?” Lucky asked. 

“Something about him asking me how to make a bowl of cereal just does it for me.” Wendy shrugged. “It’s endearing.” 

“Hey!” Scraps protested. 

Wendy leaned in and kissed his forehead. “And he can suplex a dire wolf.” 

Scraps pasted on a dopey smile and picked up Swoops’ bag, slinging it over his arm like it weighed nothing. Moments later the knotted rope was passed down to them, with Swoops giving a thumbs up from the top. Kent took the rope in his hands and climbed. His boots had plenty of grip, so he moved up the wall easily. 

Lucky and Wendy followed suit, with Scraps bringing up the rear. Scraps’ shoes were definitely not ideal for the conditions, but there were plenty of gaps in the ice that he could use to stop and reset his grip.

They eventually made it to the top. Kent could see smoke rising from over the next hill. 

“Last one there has to sleep outside!” Scraps yelled, running ahead of the group. 

“If you trip and fall into the canyon we’re not fishing you back out!” Wendy called after him. 

The rest of the party continued at a more leisurely pace. When they finally reached the building, Scraps had apparently already gone inside. The sign hanging above the door read: “Johnson Airbnb”

“The hell’s an Airbnb?” Kent asked the party.

“No clue,” Lachance replied. “I suspect they’ll tell us when we get in.” 

Kent shrugged and opened the wood door, punctuated with the jingling of a bell. 

“Welcome, welcome!” a voice boomed from the desk. A tall man stood at what appeared to be reception. His face was partially obscured by an enormous wizard hat. Scraps had already taken up a seat by the hearth, drying his boots and warming his fingers. 

“Johnson?” Lucky apparently recognized him. 

“Ah, Lucky! It’s been far too long!” Johnson shook his hand eagerly. “I knew the Aces were in this area, but what are the chances you’d happen upon my little inn?” 

“You know this guy, Lucky?” Swoops asked.

“Yeah, I mean, he was a Frog during my last year at Samwell,” Lucky tapped his finger against his chin. “Studied conjuring right?” 

“Yep, with a minor in enchantment!” 

“How did you end up all the way out here?” Kent had probably met the guy too, he was apparently at Samwell at least one of the times he’d dropped by. 

“I just kind of go with the flow, the narrative flow, so to speak.” He nodded, as if that made a lick of sense. “You guys needed a place to stay tonight, so the author decided that there could be an Airbnb in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.” 

“Right…” Kent looked back at Lucky, confirming that he was at least as confused as Kent was. 

“What do we owe you?” 

“Oh, I think I’m getting paid in exposure.” Johnson nodded knowingly. “Maybe the NHL offered me a deal that gets my business off the ground, my Airbnbs will become  _ the  _ go-to place for weary travelers.” 

“At least let me give you some gold, dude.” Kent set his coin purse on the counter. “A real bed and a warm meal in these conditions is worth more than an advertising deal.” 

“Nah, man,” Johnson pushed Kent’s bag of coins back at him. “I understand that you’ve got money to spare, but it's pretty much gonna be worthless to me by the end of this story. The next universe I appear in probably won’t use the same currency.” 

Lucky placed a hand on Kent’s shoulder reassuring him that this was normal. 

“Alright then — what do we have to eat?” 

“I’ve got some nice local venison stew bubbling away on the fire.” Johnson stepped around the counter, moving to the hearth. “Looks like it’s all done, bowls and spoons are on the mantle, bread and butter on the table over there.” 

“Oh, wow, sounds great!” Scraps was already helping himself to a bowl. 

“Should be!” Johnson nodded. “I used a bit of culinary magic. Now I’ve got some convenient paperwork that will pull me out of the room so you guys can chat. You can leave your dishes on the table and they’ll disappear as soon as they’re no longer relevant to the plot.” 

“Uh, thanks?” 

“Rooms are upstairs, to the left. There should be enough beds for everyone.” Johnson winked and disappeared into the room marked as the office. 

“Was he always this weird?” Wendy asked. 

“Oh, for sure,” Lachance agreed. “My theory is that he’s been overexposed to some high magical energies. He talked a lot about seeing through the “author’s eyes” and “alternate universes.” I think it’s best not to think too hard about it.” 

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Wendy.” Swoops admonished. “Five minutes of weird is well worth not spending a night in the snow.” 

“Point taken.” 

After the party finished wolfing down their food, they went upstairs to divvy up the rooms. 

“Only three rooms?” Swoops questioned. “I thought he said there’d be enough?” 

“If I recall correctly, which I do. He specifically said there would be enough beds.” Lucky opened the first door, which had a queen bed. 

“We’ll take it,” Wendy said, guiding Scraps by the hand into the room. 

“Don’t forget to sleep, lovebirds!” Lucky called after them.

The next one had just a twin, then the third had a full bed. 

“I’m not sharing with either of you,” Lucky said, with confidence. “I snore and thrash all night, so you can thank me for sparing you the tourture. Just like Johnson, leaving only one bed.” He shrugged, entering the single room. “What a troublemaker.” The door slammed behind him. 

“You’re the troublemaker!” Swoops yelled at the door. 

“Relax, Swoopsy.” Kent took Swoops by the arm and led him into the room. “This oughta’ be more comfortable than the bedroll we shared last week, right?” 

Swoops huffed, then hugged him after the door closed. “He’s just so snarky about it!”

“He’s doing it because you get so flustered.” 

“I wish I could tell him off, but he’s right. I like you a lot.” 

“Oh?” Kent flopped down on the bed. “Tell me more.” 

“I like you, I just — I’m not sure how to date my Captain.”

“Its basically the same as dating whoever you dated before, but we can take it as slow as you need, Swoops,” Kent reassured him. “I’ll wait for you.” 

“Thanks, Kent, I appreciate it.” Jeff sat next to him on the bed, their gear set aside for the moment. “I need to thank you for something else too.” 

“What for?” 

“It would have been easier to kill the wolves, but you made sure we dealt with it in a humane way.” 

“I  _ am _ trying to take something away from all the lectures you give me.” 

Swoops chuckled at him. “I’m glad something’s stuck, too many people in this league just kill whatever gets in their way.” 

“Yeah, we can become monster rights activists after we retire.” Kent sighed and buried his face in Jeff’s neck. 

“Ugh.” He smelled sweaty and not at all in a sexy way. The full day of hiking and fighting had definitely left its mark. “Yuck, we definitely need to wash up before bed.” 

“Fair point.” Swoops continued on to the bath in the back of the room. “There’s soap and a poultice for cuts and bruises in my satchel.” 

“You help me, I’ll help you?” 

“Naturally, Parse.” Jeff began to peel off his clothes. 

Kent liked where this evening was going.  _ Dating. Swoops wanted to date him. _ Lucky could chirp them all he wanted in the morning.

  
  


~~

It wasn’t the first time he’d woken up next to Jeff and gods, he was getting used to it. The heat from Jeff’s body contrasting the chill of the premature winter outside. The memories of last night fresh in his mind. Bathing one another after a long trek in the wilderness had made for the ideal ending of a strenuous day. 

Kent beheld Jeff’s features as he laid next to him. A scruffy beard, cheeks windblown and rough from exposure to the outdoors. Hair, long and tangling, despite having just been washed; Jeff’s flow was practically untameable. A scar over his lip, one over the cheekbone, a small notch in his brow. Kent knew where some of them came from, but the others, he hadn’t heard the story. Kent wondered if Swoops wanted to get them healed; a skilled cleric (not Lucky) could get rid of them in a few minutes. Kent liked his face though, it had a rustic charm that he couldn’t really explain. It told a story of his experiences and the adventures they’d had together. 

The morning light cast a bright white beacon across the room. Jeff’s eyes fluttered open, a smile crossed his face as he woke. 

“Hey.” Plainly spoken, but all Kent needed to hear.

Kent wrapped Jeff up in his arms, pulling their bodies together. 

“Whoa, hey.” Jeff’s voice muffled as his face was pressed into Kent’s body. “Mornin’, Kent.” 

“Morning.” Kent kissed the top of Jeff’s head, nestling closer to him, trying to stay warm . 

“What brought this on, Kent?” 

“Nothing,” Kent said, kissing him again. “I just like you.” 

“Oh, well,” Jeff kissed Kent back. “I like you a lot too.” 

“That’s good.” Kent wished they could spend the whole day like this. Lazily kissing, snuggled together in a warm bed on a cold day. Unfortunately they had other things to do, like taking down a dragon. 

A sharp knock came at their door, followed by Johnson’s voice. “Hey, just wanted to let you know, I’ve got breakfast ready downstairs, but we can handle that offscreen if you guys want to skip ahead a bit, you do have to kill that dragon like, by the end of this story.” 

They exchanged looks, perplexed once again by Johnson’s cryptic speech. “Okay thanks!” Jeff finally shouted back. “We should probably get a move on and head down, Cap.” 

“Don’t call me Captain in bed, Jeff.” Jeff flung the blankets off of them, Kent winced as the cold made contact with his skin. 

“Aye aye, sir.” Jeff said, rolling off the mattress. 

“Ugh, that’s worse.” Kent stood and began to put on his gear. He and Jeff stole many glances at one another as they dressed, laughing whenever they made eye contact. How terrible would it be to spend every morning like this? 

They eventually made it to breakfast, survived chirps from the rest of the team, and set out from the cabin back into the snow. 

“That was just what we needed, when we needed it, huh?” Scraps patted his full stomach, walking backwards in the snow. “Totally rejuvenated.” 

“It was nice to have a real bed and a proper bath,” Wendy nodded along. 

“I still haven’t figured out what he meant by Airbnb,” Lucky mused. He was answered by a loud creaking sound. For a minute Kent thought part of the ice was breaking off. Until he noticed a massive balloon, drifting away towards the horizon, with the whole cabin in tow. Lucky snapped his fingers in realization. “Now it makes sense!” 

“I’m more confused now,” Swoops said with exasperation. 

Kent took a moment to retrieve his jaw from the floor. “Wizards are just weird, dude.” He shrugged. Kent never liked to think very long on the magical bullshit. 

The “Airbnb” floated out of their sight and the Aces pressed on. The lair probably wasn’t much further. It had to be somewhere in this ravine. 

  
  


~~

Late afternoon, they had stumbled upon what Kent figured had to be the entrance. The mouth of the cave looked much like any of the other openings dotting the canyon. The main difference, however, was the way the tunnel seemed to breathe with the winds. A long draft would first pull air in. The temperature dropped off in the immediate vicinity, as if the draft was pulling the warmth out of the air. Then, several seconds later it would exhale and reverse the current. Gusts of powdery snow followed the rhythm of the air as it moved in and out of the supposed lair. 

  
  


“Let’s set up a campsite, right here.” Kent pointed to a flat-ish patch of ground near the cave entrance. “Drop off all your non-essential gear, because we need to be at our absolute sharpest.” 

“Got it, Parse.” Scraps began to set up the awning for the campsite right away. They weren’t carrying much more food on them. Kent wasn’t super worried about any animals going through their stuff. His main concern was whether or not the Flames were on their tail, followed shortly by the concern that they might not bag this dragon on the first attempt. 

Dragons were high bounty for a reason. They made for a brutal slog of a fight, they were vicious, but at times intelligent, depending on the age of the beast. The information they had suggested that this was a fairly young wyrm, yet something still felt off. The scope of the winter blanketing the surrounding area was massive unless this thing was some sort of dragon prodigy. 

“Listen gang,” Kent started over the rustle of campsite preparations. “I have a theory that this dragon is either way more ancient than we were led to believe or —” 

“It could also be an elder dragonspawn.” Swoops nodded sagely. 

“Right,” Kent pondered momentarily on what they should do. “Wendy and Scraps, stay here for now to finish setting up camp, Swoops, do a flyover of the canyon and make sure nobody’s about to steal this bounty from under our noses. Lucky, you’re with me. Rendezvous back here in twenty minutes.” 

Kent set everything but his weapons and a rope on the tarp, put up his hood and ventured into the cave. Lucky followed Kent and the rest of the Aces broke off to complete their tasks. 

“Just recon for now, Parse?” Lucky whispered. 

Kent nodded. “We need to get the drop on it if we can. Can you set us up with some extra stealth?” 

“Of course.” Lucky waved his hands, and a dull grayish-purple aura sprang forth, coating their boots in the spell’s power. Kent noted that his clothes no longer rustled and that his footprints barely left any impression in the surface of the snow. 

“Ready a retreat option too,” Kent instructed. “If we get spotted we need to regroup right away.” 

“I know the drill.” 

The pair crept silently through the cave. The further in they went the more the passage opened up. Eventually the duo found themselves in a large chamber where the ceiling appeared to be vaulted. The floor below began to slope down towards some sort of pit the beast must have carved from the ice. There it was, sleeping, certainly not the nestling they were told they were pursuing. The dragon appeared to be asleep, puffs of snow escaped its nostrils and snores echoed throughout the cavern. 

“So?” Lucky asked, breaking the silence.

“Hopefully we can hit it hard and fast.” Kent regarded the beast curled up at the bottom of the pit. “We need to press any advantage we have here.”

“Well, if we manage to net this thing, they’d better raise the bounty, she’s massive.” 

“Mhm.” The dragon’s chest rose and fell as it slept. For something capable of such disruption and destruction, it was breathtaking. Its scales were pearlescent and shimmering. Were the ice here not glacial and flecked with blue, it would probably blend in perfectly. 

Swoops would probably have some choice words ready about destroying such a beautiful form of life, but… It was their job. By letting this thing roam unchecked, they were putting the surrounding communities at risk. 

“Let’s go back,” Kent whispered. 

He and Lucky turned to begin making their way out of the cave. A loud crack echoed through the chamber. Kent looked back over his shoulder. The ledge they had just been standing on was now sliding rapidly down the slope. Kent’s eyes widened as he recalled what was lying at the bottom of the slope. 

“Run!” he yelled, breaking into a sprint back down the tunnel. Lucky chanted some sort of spell from behind him and Kent’s legs instantly felt lighter and he felt himself running faster than he thought humanly possible. 

Moments later the pair was at the entrance of the cave, out of breath, but they had put a fair amount of distance between them and the dragon. 

A deafening roar resounded from within the cave, Kent felt the ground shake beneath his feet. A gust of freezing wind nearly knocked him off of his feet. 

“What the hell did you two do in there!?” Wendy asked incredulously. 

“Nothing!” Kent yelled back. 

“The cliff fell out underneath us.” Lucky explained calmly. “I’d say we have mere minutes from a fight.” 

“Is Swoops back yet?” Kent scanned the skies, noting the sole bird flying back towards the source of the noise. Swoops barely had time to land before the dragon was crashing its way out of the pit. 

“Coast is clear, Parse.” Swoops yelled over the din. “What’s the plan?” 

Kent looked to the cliffs surrounding them. This was not the ideal location for this fight, but they’d have to make do. It was going to take some unconventional maneuvers to make this terrain work for them. 

“Here’s the plan.” The dragon’s head appeared at the mouth of the cave, investigating the disturbance. “Scraps and Swoops, try your best to keep it pinned down here. Wendy and I will be raining fire and arrows from the cliffs above. Lucky, do what you can to keep us all in the fight. Now break!” 

The dragon finished making its way out of the cave and Swoops led with an entangling vines spell. Leafy tendrils burst forth from the frozen ground wrapping the beast in a mass of coils. 

Kent began scaling the cliff as fast as he could. He passed his rope down to Wendy helping her climb while the dragon struggled against its bonds. It was likely only a matter of time before it broke free and they needed to be in position to provide suppressing fire. 

They finally reached the top and Kent watched as the dragon ripped itself from the ground. The plants withered as the spell broke, but Scraps followed up immediately. He challenged the dragon head-on, before the dragon could rear back and hit them with its frozen breath Scraps clamped its jaw shut with his bare hands. It was a gamble, but the others piled on to help. One of Lucky’s spells seemed to be enhancing Scraps’ strength, while Swoops summoned more vines to keep it from taking off. 

Kent nodded to Wendy and they began the second phase of the assault, launching a volley of arrows and fire into the fray, careful not to catch Scraps in the crossfire. While he was no dragon expert, he figured that fire should be pretty useful against an ice dragon, right? It seemed that the plan was going off without a hitch until it freed its tail, slamming Scraps with enough force to knock him off his feet, launching him into a snowbank. 

It again wrested itself from the vines, but instead of going for Swoops, who was now the first person in its line of sight, or Lucky, who had turned his attention to pulling Scraps from the snow, the dragon was focused on Kent and Wendy. 

“Get down!” Kent managed to yell in time as a blast of freezing dragon breath was launched their way. He pulled Wendy to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack. He got to his feet and the dragon had ascended to their level, Swoops in hawk form trailing behind. Roaring, the dragon landed right in front of them. The frozen hillside began cracking under its weight. 

They needed to regroup, but the dragon was practically on top of them. They had to do something fast. The dragon took a massive step towards them and the ground creaked beneath them. 

“Wendy!” Kent gestured to the crack that had formed in the ridge. “Break the ledge off, I’ll keep it busy!” 

“What!?” she yelled back, incredulous. 

“Just, do it!” Kent took off towards the edge, taking a few shots at the dragon to pull its focus. “I have an idea!” 

Kent allowed himself to be cornered on the cliff, the dragon totally unaware of what Wendy was up to behind him. 

“Swoops, lift me!” There was a beat of wings at his back, talons digging into his shoulder pads, and he was off the ground. Kent smirked and Wendy finished melting away the cracked glacial wall, sending the dragon tumbling back into the chasm. Hopefully Lucky and Scraps had managed to get out of the way in time. Kent looked down at the dragon, flailing violently in an attempt to free itself from the mountain of snow. 

“Let’s finish this!” Kent yelled up at Swoops. “Drop me right on top of it!” 

Kent stashed his bow and drew the short sword he had at his hip. The wind whipped past his face as he entered a free fall. Kent anchored his blade in the dragon’s neck and held on with all his might, allowing gravity to take over.

The feeling of sympathetic magic coursed through his arms, strengthening his grip, one of Lucky’s boons. Kent finished his slide to the ground and pulled his sword from the dragon’s neck with a twist. The beast collapsed behind him, its head thudding dully into the snow. 

With the dragon defeated, the clouds began to part and the sun shone down into the valley, practically on cue. 

“Ever the showman, Parse.” Lucky gave him a light applause. 

“Gotta keep my adoring fans entertained, don’t I?” 

Scraps clapped him on the shoulder. “We make this shit look easy!”

“I have to hand it to you Parse, that was a gorgeous finish,” Wendy added, rejoining the group. “Now let’s grab our stuff and get back to Vegas.”

“Hope you’re ready for a ton of interviews, Cap.” 

“I’ll survive, Swoops, I always do.”

  
  


~~

Kent smiled into his drink, the projections on the tavern wall showing the commanding lead the Aces had in the NHL standings. They could practically afford to take a week off from hunting, but they all decided it was better to press their advantage. Swoops claimed the seat next to Kent at the bar. 

“Awfully generous of the NHL to raise the bounty on that dragon, huh?” 

“I mean, I’ll take as many points as they’re willing to part with, Swoops.” 

“Oh definitely.” Swoops ordered his usual from the bartender, probably something disgustingly bitter. Kent had no clue how anyone enjoyed beer. 

“We’re heading out into the Mojave for the next one, by the way.” 

“Something closer to home is nice.” Swoops took a sip from his mug. 

“You’re not going to like it though, according to the reports from Lucky we’re going after some giant scorpions.” 

Swoops visibly paled. 

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll protect you.” Kent pulled Swoops' chair closer to his. “The big scary bugs won’t lay a finger on my man.” 

Swoops groaned, clearly annoyed with Kent’s doting. “Scorpions are arachnids, and they better not have fucking fingers.” 

Kent laughed. “You never know man, I heard they were created by an insane wizard.” 

Swoops finished his drink sporting a disgusted face. “You’re lucky I like you enough to go along with this.” 

“I promise when we retire we can move somewhere without any bugs.” 

“I’m holding you to that, Kent. I want it in writing.” Swoops ordered another beer. Kent pulled out the pen he kept on him to sign autographs and wrote the promise down on a cocktail napkin, drew some hearts, signed it, then slid it over to Swoops. 

“There you go.” Kent watched as a blush spread across Jeff’s face. He was still getting used to Kent being affectionate with him in public. But since they had decided they were officially dating, it was getting easier. 

“Don’t let the fans know you’re such a sap, Kent.” Swoops threw his arm over Kent’s shoulder. “You’ll lose all your aloof ranger cred.” 

“I can slay giant monsters and love my boyfriend at the same time!” Kent protested. Swoops just stared at him in return. 

“Love?” Swoops looked almost terrified by the word. 

“Shit — I” Kent fumbled. He had meant it but it was probably too soon. “You don’t have to say it back.” 

Swoops pressed Kent into a kiss in lieu of a response. When they broke apart they were both just grinning at each other. 

“I love you, Kent Parson.” 

“I love you too, Jeff.” They kissed again. They were going to do so good this season. They were bringing the cup back to Vegas and this time, they were going to do it together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Jeff "Swoops" Troy- Nature loving druid, always concerned about the impact their actions have on the environment. 
> 
> Jean-Luc "Lucky" Lachance- Trickery domain cleric. Provides support through buffs. Went to Samwell University of Dungeoneering Arts before being drafted by the Aces. 
> 
> Luka "Scraps" Scarapelli- Rough and tough Monk. A bit simple but has a heart of gold. Absolutely fawns over Wendy at any opportunity. 
> 
> Gwendolyn "Wendy" O'Hara- Fire specialist Sorcerer. Often catches people off guard due to her extremely feminine presentation, followed by giant fireballs.


End file.
